Stink Bug – Chapter 18

I sat down and waited. K’eel was agitated and groomed her feathers furiously, warbling to herself as she did so. Five minutes passed. My knees were aching, so I got up and walked around. I peeked at what V’x had been working on. It was a series of pegs on a board. Some of the pegs were brightly painted. Others were still being carved.

“Keel?” I said.

K’eel squawked at me loudly, fluffing her feathers. She went back to grooming.

“What happened?”

“Leave it,” muttered K’eel, her beak full of a flight feather.

“But…”

K’eel hissed. “Leave it.”

“Sorry.” I picked up one of the painted pegs. “What are these for?”

“Nate, must you?”

“I’m just curious.”

K’eel stood and hopped over to me. “These are V’x’s things. No interest to us. Always making things.” She took the peg from my hand and set it down. “Get away.”

I stepped a few feet away. K’eel scrutinized the items on V’x’s bench. “Worthless things,” muttered K’eel.

“If they’re worthless, what are we doing here?”

K’eel flinched. She pressed her feathers down and looked back at me over her shoulder. She turned her attention back to the items on the bench. “She is an inventor. Such things can be dangerous.”

“Did someone get hurt?”

“I will not speak of it.”

“But she can help, just like I can, huh?”

K’eel slumped. “She has overcome her inability to fly. She can probably help you.”

I approached K’eel. “Sometimes we just gotta let the past be the past, eh?”

“She had better come back.” K’eel tossed the peg back onto the bench and went back to her grooming.

I stood staring up at the forest canopy marveling at its height when a rustling signals the return of V’x. She struggled to carry a rope ladder in her arms. Rolled up, it was about the diameter of a 55 gallon drum. She set it down, breathing heavily from the effort.

It was a simple ladder. Two long lengths of rope with cross-bars of wood at regular intervals. Thick hooks and loops were affixed at the rope ends.

“One must fly up and attach these, then?” said K’eel.

“Yes,” replied V’x.

“Then, let’s go.” K’eel picked up the roll and started back toward the platform. I followed. “V’x! You will come!” shouted K’eel. I waited for the crippled Vrr’ak’l to catch up, and we headed into the dense forest together.

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